J.C. Penney (JCP) pulled ahead of the Thanksgiving retail pack with its announcement Wednesday that stores will open at 5 p.m. on the holiday.

That's three hours earlier than its Thanksgiving opening last year, which was the first year Penney opened on Thanksgiving. It's also an hour ahead of Macy's (M) and Kohl's (KSS), which will open at 6 p.m.

JCPenney to open at 5 pm on Thanksgiving to kick off Black Friday shopping $JCP

Retailers say the decision to open earlier is due to customer demand. "J.C. Penney opened on Thanksgiving for the first time ever last year, and the response from customers was overwhelmingly positive," said spokeswoman Sarah Holland.

Macy's and Kohl's are opening two hours earlier than last year. Sears (SHLD) will also open at 6 p.m., while Kmart will once again open at 6 a.m., which it started doing in 2010.

Most Walmart (WMT) stores are already open 24 hours and the retailer hasn't announced Thanksgiving sales plans yet. Meanwhile some retailers still manage to get away with keeping doors closed on Thanksgiving, including BJ's, Costco (COST), and Nordstrom (JWN).

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